PRE-PRODUCTION: What is your prep week style?

[ReyYaySM]

I'm in the midst of my prep week for Camelot and recently I was a guest in an SM class that was discussing pre-production, so it got me wondering about other SM's approach to their prep week.  Do you work from home, the theatre, or a combo?  Do you work from a checklist?  How many hours would you estimate that you work during prep week?  Do you call your cast or just email them? 

I have a checklist that I've adapted from one I got from an SM I worked with when I was an intern.  I've added things throughout the years as new things have come up during the different shows I've worked on.  I tend to work primarily at the theatre, though I may spend a morning or two at home working in my pajamas before heading in for the day.  I would say I average about 25-30 hours of prep work (with an assistant) when I'm working on a straight play and around 45-50 when I'm working on a musical or a technically complicated play.  And I always call my actors but will also send the schedule by email. 

So what's your prep week style?

[Aerial]

I do most of my prep week work from the theatre.  I have a checklist that I've put together, culled from various ones that stage manager's I've worked under have used.  I approach it differently depending on if I'm working somewhere I've worked before or somewhere new.  If it is somewhere new, I have a whole list of additional questions, and I like to see the space and the backstage, the rehearsal hall, etc, before I begin any paperwork.  It just gets me into the right mindset. 

I am similar in terms of hours.  On a regular play, with an assistant, usually I am doing 5-6 hour days during prep, depending on complexity.  I almost always call my actors, but I always send out the schedule, calendar and contact sheet via email as well. 

[Rebbe]

I mostly prep from home, spending time at the theater on one or two days to print documents, tape out the floor, and pull props.  Most of what I need to do involves email or generating paperwork, which I can do at home as easily as at the theater, and several theaters I work at don’t have an SM office (or it’s disfunctional in some way), so ithere isn’t a good place for me to do computer work there.   I may email projects back and forth with my ASM, or just call them for the days I plan to work at the theater, depending on the work load for the show.  I let the Production Manager know what my plans are,  and they usually don’t  care as long as I’m reachable by email/phone as needed and get my work done.   Occasionally I’ve had a show with late-breaking script changes, that sort of thing, and I’ve come in on the day before first rehearsal, even if that’s when I would technically be off.  It’s hard to estimate how many hours I spend prepping.  Probably in the 20-30 ball park.  But I also tend to start certain prep tasks several weeks before rehearsals, rather than saving everything  for prep weeks, so I figure everything balances out.  I do have a prep checklist that I adapt for every show, it reminds me about everything from paperwork templates to finding out how to adjust tempreatures in the rehearsal hall.  I usually call the actors.  If I do contact them first by email for some reason, I specifically ask them to reply to the email so I know they got it, and if I don’t get that response, I follow up by phone.     

[MatthewShiner]

I tend to work exclusively from the theater.  Besides the basic prep stuff, I tend to do a lot of meetings (Production Management, Scene Shop, Costume Shop, Props, Sound, etc), but also, since I tend to work on bigger shows, I have a larger staff.  And I think the prep week is extremely important part of the team building process.  I want to learn how the team works before the stress of rehearsal begins.  Also, I like to keep work at work and home at home.

The best thing about being a resident PSM, is that I can quickly go through the basic prep stuff (I have all the paperwork and change names, add new people, etc . . .), so I tend to try to make prep week a 5 day, 40 hour thing, so I can take an extra day off . . . I often find the only "down time" I have away from 60 hour rehearsal weeks is prep week when I am in control of my own hours.  If I am working at a new theatre, I would say I average about 50 hours for pre-production.  BUT, the thing is since I am a resident PSM at a theatre,  tend to start prep for shows up to a year in advance . . .

I do have a pretty comprehensive pre-production list.

I e-mail actors, but always follow up with a phone call.  One, to make a personal contact, but also follow, answer any questions, and just start that personal relationship.

 

[babens]

I also find the phone call to be important to make sure they got the email with the schedule and anything else that I send them.  Not every actor checks their email as compulsively often as the majority of us stage managers.